Me and my fiance are intending to acquire a 1 bedroom flat in Bradford with a mortgage. We like our Bradford lawyer, but the bank says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or retain our Bradford property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We consider that this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Bradford conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
The Bradford conveyancing solicitors that just started acting on my house acquisition in Bradford have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the Principality conveyancing panel and my previous Bradford lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT in advance. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Principality conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.
I just bought a property at auction in Bradford. Conveyancing is needed. What is next?
Now that you are legally committed yourself to purchase you now have to appoint a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you are facing a pending a drop dead date to complete the transaction. All auction property will ordinarily have a corresponding auction set of papers. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your conveyancer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction pack may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to leasehold premises. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete on the on the contractual date .
We previously instructed conveyancers locally in Bradford on the Kent Reliance solicitor panel. They have just billed me a supplemental amount for the legal aspects of the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Kent Reliance?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer may charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by Kent Reliance but by your Bradford conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Kent Reliance panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Bradford. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial property in Bradford and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to provides a safeguard to business tenants, granting the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a renewal lease and remain in occupation when the lease comes to an end. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act to your advantage and help with commercial conveyancing in Bradford
I wish to rent out my leasehold flat in Bradford. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?
Even though your previous Bradford conveyancing lawyer is not available you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the property. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain permission via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining permission. Such consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.
I inherited a 1st floor flat in Bradford, conveyancing was carried out in 2004. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Bradford with a long lease are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080
With 55 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.
What are the distinct benefits to instructing a local lawyer in Bradford
Many purchasers and sellers in Bradford choose a nearby high street solicitor so that they can visit if they have concerns, and to deliver paperwork rather taking the chance of depending on the post.
We would argue that there is a slight advantage in opting for a conveyancer local to the premises you are buying, due to the in-depth knowledge of the region and possible local concerns - yet this is debatable. Most conveyancers carry out their work over the internet and may be any place in the world.